Keynote message. Session 1: Setting the Scene

Transcription

1 Keynote message The Pacific is at a revitalized key juncture to reassert and strengthen its collective voice in advocacy and engagement. We are large as a region an ocean continent that is connected and strategically important. The Pacific Roadmap for Sustainable Development guides the region s response to being accountable to sustainable development. The Pacific Roadmap reflects an inclusive process. There is a long way to go still for many development challenges. Session 1: Setting the Scene Linking local and global processes: 2019 is a very significant year, as the HLPF will meet to review the progress of SDGs, and the mid-term review of the SAMOA Pathway will be presented. The theme for the HLPF is empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness. National, sub-regional and regional processes are the key mechanisms for informing the HLPF. Engagement of all stakeholder at all levels is the only way to implement 2030 Agenda and SDGs. Sustainable development must be inclusive and people centred, involving all people including youth and children. Leaders have called for a holistic and integrated approach, through inclusive and transparent processes at global, regional and national level involving all stakeholders.

2 Sub-Regional: The Pacific Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Development is the region s own response to the Agenda 2030 and the SDGs and guides how the Pacific embeds the global architecture into national and regional plans. The Roadmap captures Pacific leaders conditionality around Agenda They want contextualisation and localisation, inclusiveness, single-source reporting and coherence/coordination. Pacific has identified 132 SDG indicators to track the things most important to the region. Reporting on the Roadmap informs Leaders ahead of their attendance at APFSD, and HLPF. A lot of regional work supports the implementation of the Roadmap. Regional (UN terminology): The APFSD is an annual, inclusive and intergovernmental meeting designed to advance regional integration for SDG attainment. The theme for the APFSD is the same as the HLPF. Global: The VNR process is a valuable platform to gain insight at national level and follow-up. The Pacific Regional Report on Sustainable Development is the first key product of the Pacific Roadmap and shines a light on where we are at in terms of improving lives, empowerment and inequality. The key messages from the report are: There is mixed progress and a lot of work still to do. Progress in the Pacific against SDGs is slow, a number of areas are stalling or regressing. Particular concerns on SDG 16, and SDG 11 (target: economic losses related to disaster). We must work together in a way that reflects the priorities of the Blue Pacific, and is informed by the voices of all Pacific citizens.

3 The Pacific s perspectives on sustainable development in the region are informed by: The 49 th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting - The Pacific is an autonomous ocean continent gives a pathway for growth and development - Key areas for action: Climate Change; Fisheries; NCDs; Partnership - The first Quadrennial Pacific Sustainable Development Report The Nuku alofa Declaration: Mid-Term Review of SAMOA Pathway (Pacific) - Opportunity for SIDS to share national priorities and implementation experience - Importance of genuine and durable partnerships, but also the importance of meaningful partnerships - Reaffirmed the need to maintain focus on the implementation of the SAMOA pathways, great desire and ambition for greater linkages between the global and regional development processes and platforms Lessons from VNRs (Samoa and Australia) - Demonstrated the need to for an early start, multi-stakeholder engagement, and coordinating mechanisms. - The collection of data can be a very large task for VNR, wider than just stats offices. - Importance of national follow-up to VNR, presentation in New York is not the end, just the start.

4 DISCUSSION 1 Better accountability mechanisms should not be forgotten, especially in regard to programme and service delivery Multiple reporting requirements at several levels; need to further integrate the multiple UN reporting requirements (as the Pacific has tried through the Pacific Roadmap). Need to improve coordination on the various reporting lines and have mechanisms to facilitate participation of civil society Major reporting burden on countries (only Nauru recently reported out of 196 countries on the SAMOA Pathway) and reporting fatigue The Pacific Roadmap might be an opportunity to assist Pacific SIDS with this reporting burden. Need greater focus on accountability to ensure that efforts meet the needs of the targeted people. Development partners can play a role here, and the GPEDC also (on SDGs 16 & 17), and UN agencies and PIFS to encourage countries to report/participate. PIFS Circular soon to nominate representatives to the SDGs steering committee

5 Session 2: Perspectives on the APFSD and HLPF theme Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality Pacific Report s primary audience is PIF member states. Linking reporting between national, sub-regional, regional and global levels. Key message: vulnerabilities and inequality are deepening and increasing, especially pronounced between urban and remote rural communities amongst men and women, youth, elderly and persons with disabilities. Key messages of the PSDR: Need to find Pacific solutions to Pacific challenges Empowerment Expansion of freedom of choice and action, increasing control over resources and decisions that affect one s life Inclusion ensures no one is left behind Equality address enormous disparities of opportunity, wealth and power Plenary: Vulnerable groups and disaggregated data issues (usually are Tier 2 and Tier 3 indicators) Multiple reporting requirements but data challenges SDGs related to environmental issues have the biggest challenges re: methodology etc (e.g. SDG13 and SDG14) VNR process to include a regional space for countries to report (not only at global level), for example, human rights that countries may omit when reporting globally (esp. role for CSO in this) Potential for shadow reporting? 2015 UNGA resolution on Youth, Peace and Security